Montgomery College will be hosting two special events during Black History Month to
commemorate this year’s 50th anniversary of the landmark U.S.
Supreme Court case, Brown vs. Board of Education.

Prominent civil rights attorney Thomas
Nathaniel Todd, a.k.a. “TNT,” will speak about the legacy of the
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS decision on Wednesday,
February 18, 7 p.m., at the Montgomery College Theater Arts Arena,
Rockville Campus, 51 Mannakee Street. The renowned orator is the first
of three planned lectures this year commemorating the 50th
Anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case. As part of the
Empowerment through Literacy lecture series, the event is co-sponsored
by Montgomery College, Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery
County African American Employees Association, and Montgomery County
Public Libraries.

Joe Madison, host of “Mornings with
Madison,” airing on WOL-AM, a Radio One, Inc. station, will be the
moderator of a second commemorative event to be held Tuesday, February
24 at 7 p.m. Entitled “Voices of the Experience,” Madison will lead a
panel discussion on remembering, learning, and living the legacy of
Brown v. Board of Education, in the Theatre Arts Building on
Montgomery College’s Rockville Campus, 51 Mannakee Street, Rockville,
Maryland.

Among the panelists contributing to the
discussion are Nina Clarke, author of “History of the Black Public
Schools of Montgomery County Maryland, 1872-1961;” Warrick Hill, author
of “Before Us Lies the Timber: The Segregated High School of Montgomery
County, Maryland, 1927-1960;” Doris Hackey, and James Offord, graduates
of the Montgomery County Public Schools. Each panelist will share his or
her personal experience with segregation in Montgomery County public
schools, and the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court decision.

After the panel discussion, members of
the community are invited to share their thoughts and stories. The event
is organized by the 50th Anniversary and Commemoration
Committee of the Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery
College, in cooperation with the Montgomery County African American
Employees Association.

On Monday, May 17, 1954, the Supreme
Court of the United States ruled to end racial segregation in public
schools, saying that it “deprives children of the minority group of
equal educational opportunities.” This decision overturned the 1896
Plessy v. Ferguson case, which had set forth the “separate but
equal” doctrine. Brown v. Board of Education marked a profound
turning point in the U.S. history and affected not only African
Americans, but eventually many other disadvantaged groups of people,
according to Dr. Alonzo Smith, research historian for the National
Museum of American History and an adjunct faculty member at Montgomery
College.

In addition to hosting these events in
observance of the 50th anniversary of this landmark case, the
Montgomery College Board of Trustees recently passed a resolution
reaffirming the College’s commitment to providing equal access to higher
education. The resolution also affirms the College’s support of efforts
on behalf of educating the residents of Montgomery County to ensure
learning equity for all students through institutional, political,
personal, and civic engagement.

For additional information about the
lecture and panel discussion, please contact Montgomery College’s Office
of Equity and Diversity at 240-567-5276.